St. Francis (NY) has finished above .500 at home in each of St. Francis (NY) Terriers the last ten seasons, by far longest streak in the NEC. The Terriers have posted an 86-31 record over the decade at the Pope Center, a 73.5 percent success rate. Robert Mor- NEC Predicted Finish: 8th 2005-06 Record: 10-17, 7-11 NEC ris, which has posted a winning record at home the last five seasons, maintains the second-longest current streak in the conference. In his first year manning the sidelines at St. Francis (NY), head coach Brian Nash was determined to implement a new system, one that placed an emphasis on half court defense and execution within a set offense. To that end, the Brooklyn native spent nearly an entire season mixing and matching lineups and adjusting on the fly in order to find the right combination of players to carry out his game plans. Over the course of the campaign, Nash started 12 players, employed 15 different starting lineups and featured a rotation with 11 players averag- ing at least 13 minutes per contest. A loss on the final day of the regular season cost the Terriers a playoff spot and snapped a streak of 15 consecutive NEC Tournament appearances. In the end, the 2005-06 season was defined by flashes of brilliance (wins over Fairfield and Fordham), tempered by spurts of inconsistency, especially on the offensive end of the floor where St. Francis averaged just 63.7 ppg. While a lucrative recruiting haul should provide the impetus for a quick turnaround, the Terriers have a number of building blocks already in place, starting with former NEC Rookie of the Year Allan Sheppard, a junior swingman. The sinewy slasher and underrated offensive rebounder paced St. Francis in scoring a year ago with 11.6 ppg, snared 4.8 rpg and shot nearly 50 percent from the floor. Sheppard finished last season on a high note, scoring in double digits in 12 of the last 13 games, while hitting at a 55.8 percent clip from the field. Allan Sheppard Nash often went with one of the league’s quickest lineups last season with 5’8” starting point guard Jamaal Womack joining Sheppard on the court. Womack (5.9 ppg), a junior, is not only a After getting off to a bit of a slow start in his sophomore campaign, Sheppard began rocket in transition, but takes care of the ball (just 44 turnovers) and can step out to three- to heat up once conference play rolled around in January. The 2004-05 NEC Rookie point range (24 treys). Junior Ruandy Melo (4.4 ppg) gives Nash depth at the position. of the Year reached double digits in scoring in 12 of his last 13 games, averaging 13.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg, while shooting a blistering 55.8 percent from the floor. Shep- The Terriers will not lack for size in the interior with the return of junior forward James St. pard, a slinky 6’5” forward who hails from New York City, always seems to save his Robert, sophomore forward John Gooden and junior forward Sami Pekkola. The 6’8”, 230 lb. best for neighborhood rival Long Island. In four career games against the Black- St. Robert started 18 games last year, averaging 5.9 ppg. A back-to-the basket player, he led birds, he has averaged 21.0 ppg and 5.4 rpg, while sinking 60.3 percent of his shot the squad with 23 blocks and a 53.9 percent success rate from the floor. Gooden should be attempts. more of a focal point in 2006-07 after a promising freshman season that included a double- double in a late-season game against Monmouth. A bruising 6’6”, 220 lbs., Gooden com- piled 4.1 ppg and 3.2 rpg in limited time. Pekkola, a 6’7” Finnish import, is a designated long range marksman with deep range. He hit 15 shots from outside the arc as a sopho- St. Francis (NY) Roster more and averaged 3.9 ppg. No Player Pos Ht Wt Yr Hometown/High School/Previous College Nash, who built a strong reputation as a recruiter in his 12 years as an assistant 3 Jamaal Womack* G 5-8 170 Jr Bronx, NY/Our Saviour Lutheran coach, pounded the pavement in the offseason with the end result being a six-man 10 Sami Pekkola F 6-7 220 Jr Finland/Salpausselan recruiting class that filled a number of holes for the Terriers. Former high school 14 Ruandy Melo G 6-0 160 Sr New York, NY/Cardinal Hayes teammates at powerhouse St. Anthony’s in Jersey City, Otis Campbell and Mar- 15 Allan Sheppard* G/F 6-5 200 Sr New York, NY/Randolph 40 James St. Robert* F 6-8 230 Jr Copiague, NY/Copiague cus Williams could be the backcourt of the future for St. Francis. The 6’2” 44 John Gooden F 6-6 220 So Bronx, NY/Cardinal Hayes (Gunnery Prep (CT)) Campbell, who transferred from Hutchinson CC, brings a reputation as a perimeter shooter who should help ease the losses of Christian Brown Newcomers 1 Rain Rickards G/F 6-5 195 Fr Corona, NY/Florida Prep and Sean Dantzler, who combined for 93 three-pointers last season. 2 Otis Campbell G 6-2 215 Jr Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony’s (Hutchinson CC) Williams played at Globe CC in 2005-06 and is a versatile per- 5 Marcus Williams G/F 6-3 220 Jr Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony’s (Globe Institute) former who at 6’3” may even see some time at forward. Fresh- 13 Robert Hines F 6-5 250 Jr Trenton, NJ/Arizona Western CC 20 Bass Yessoufou C 6-9 218 Jr Ivory Coast/Palm Beach CC man forward David Burton, out of the Philadelphia scholastic 21 David Burton F 6-5 220 Fr Philadelphia, PA/Philadelphia Lutheran ranks, measures 6’5” and will likely earn time as a wing 32 Kayode Ayeni F 6-5 180 Fr Brooklyn, NY/Laurinburg (NC) Prep performer, while Arizona Western CC transfer Rob- 34 Carl Palmer G 6-4 185 Fr Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth ert Hines is an athletic 6’5” power forward and Key Losses Rain Rickards is a 6’5” swingman. Bass Yess- 1 Sean Dantzler G 6-4 180 oufou, a 6’9” center, hails from the Ivory 2 Tristan Smith G 6-1 185 Coast and played last season for 13 Christian Brown# G/F 6-4 190 20 Lex James F/C 6-9 230 Palm Beach CC. 21 Devon Neckles F 6-7 190 42 Nick Jones# G 6-2 195 * Starter Returning # Starter Lost 52 06 • NEC men’s basketball guide • 07 The most recent addition to the NEC coaching ranks, Brian Nash Alma Mater: Keene State ‘92 Nash was hired as the 16th coach in St. Francis bas- ketball history in March, 2005. Nash is no stranger to the St. Francis program as his father, Raymond, Record at SFNY: 10-17/1 Year Overall Record: 10-17/1 Year played for the Terriers from 1960-63 and is currently President of nearby Bishop Ford High School. Head Coaching Experience 2005-pres. St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY • Named the 16th coach in school history in March, 2005. NASH at SFNY Assistant Coaching Experience Year Overall NEC 2005-06 10-17 7-11 2001-05 Seton Hall University, South Orange, NY • Pirates reached second round of NCAA Tournament in 2004. 2000-01 Siena College, Loudonville, NY 1994-00 St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, NY • Helped lead the Bonnies to the 2000 NCAA Tournament, as well as NIT Tournament appearances in 1995 and 1998. 1993-94 Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT Playing Experience 1988-92 Keene State, Keene, NH • Named team captain his junior and senior season. • A four year letterwinner, he scored 825 career points. Education Keene State, Keene, NH • Bachelor of Science, 1992, Economics Personal • He and his wife, Kristin, live in West Orange, NJ. • Served as an assistant coach for the United States All-Stars which competed in the Olympus Cup in Italy and Greece in the summer of 2001. Five Questions With: Marcus Williams What made you decide to attend St. Francis? When I was in junior college, Coach Nash was one of the only coaches that recruited me on a daily basis. I could see Coach Nash was committed to the college and recruiting top athletes and I wanted to be a part of that. With a large roster turnover from a year ago, how have the newcomers on the team meshed with the veterans early on in the season? Turnover is an issue for us this year. When you have seven returnees and seven newcomers, there are bound to be some growing pains. Since starting the season there have been some issues we have had to face as far as us learning to play together as a team. I am hoping that with practice we can overcome these challenges and learn to work together on the court and win some games. You once played on an undefeated St. Anthony’s team in high school. Describe how playing for Bob Hurley at a noted national power prepared you for the collegiate game? Playing for St. Anthony’s prepares you for DI basketball. You know a lot more than the guys coming from other schools and it gives you an edge over some of the other players. I was extremely well prepared coming from a school with such a great background.